State considers tolls on I-405 express lanes
Jan 24, 2013, 6:03 PM | Updated: 6:18 pm
State transportation officials are kicking the tires on a plan to toll express lanes on Interstate 405 similar to SR 167, saying at a meeting Thursday in Bellevue it could be one way to help ease congestion and fund improvements on the clogged stretch.(MyNorthwest image)
(MyNorthwest image)
State transportation officials are kicking the tires on a plan to toll express lanes on Interstate 405, saying at a meeting Thursday in Bellevue it could be one way to help ease congestion and fund improvements on the clogged stretch.
“Tolling really helps us operate the system efficiently, manage the demand as well as give us a revenue source to add to capacity so it does really touch many facets of our transportation system,” said Craig Stone, WSDOT Toll Division Director.
The tolling would likely have variable rates, like the toll lanes already in use on Highway 167 in south King County.
Another option under consideration would increase the required number of people in a carpool vehicle from two to three. Thursday’s meeting was the first of four.
The 40-mile Eastside Corridor of Highway 167 and Interstate 405 is the north-south freeway option to Interstate 5 through the Seattle area.
The Transportation Department has been working for more than a decade on ways to reduce congestion. Express toll lanes between Bellevue and Lynnwood are under construction and will open in 2015.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
